by Scott Kelly
First published 2017
Scott Kelly opens his memoir by reflecting on the extraordinary challenge ahead: spending 340 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, longer than any American before him. The veteran astronaut chronicles this unprecedented mission while weaving in stories from his earlier spaceflights and his unconventional path to NASA. Kelly describes the physical and psychological toll of extended weightlessness, the delicate international cooperation required to maintain the station, and the profound isolation of watching Earth turn below for nearly a year. He reveals the personal sacrifices demanded by his career, including the strain on his relationship with his twin daughters and his marriage. The book captures both the technical realities of space exploration and the deeply human experience of pushing beyond normal limits. Kelly examines how his difficult childhood and academic struggles shaped his determination to reach space. His account reveals what happens when someone volunteers to become a test subject for humanity's future on Mars.
Genres: science, adventure, autobiography, memoir, non-fiction, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-sacrifice, test-subject
Setting: International Space Station
Period: 21st-century
400 pages · Hardcover · Alfred A. Knopf